The pedigree Suffolk Sheep from the Beechill Farm in Mountrath, Co Laois, sparked a bidding war at a recent livestock auction, setting a new sales record for the breed.

The ram was bred on behalf of wealthy property developer and pedigree breeder Dan Tynan, who is also the chairman of Dandara Group property developers, with extensive holdings in the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, London, Glasgow and Manchester.

His prized ram sold to the top bidder at a livestock auction in Stirling, Scotland. The sale smashed the previous €86,000 record which was set in 1998.

Describing the pedigree ram as "a first class sheep", John Corcoran of the Suffolk Sheep Society in Ireland, said: "He was an exceptional sheep and obviously the breeders thought so too."

The winning bid was placed by a pedigree breeder from Denbigh in north Wales. Mr Greaney and Mr Tynan both declined to comment last night. But Eddie Punch, general secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, said while paying five-figure sums for prize pedigree sheep was not that unusual, " That's by far the highest price I've ever heard," he said.